BOX SCORE
West Hartford, CT – The University of Hartford men's soccer team played the Vermont Catamounts to a 2-2 tie following 110 minutes of soccer at Al-Marzook Field on Wednesday evening. Both teams remain unbeaten in the America East conference as Hartford now stands at 4-5-2 overall (1-0-1 AE) and Vermont holds a mark of 1-6-4 overall (1-0-1 AE).
Hartford's attack exploded out of the gates as senior Carlos Villa netted two-straight goals within the first four minutes to put the Hawks at an early 2-0 advantage over the Catamounts. Following the halftime break, the Catamounts heated up the attack, putting notches on the scoreboard in the 69th minute and again in the 88th minute, sending the game into overtime. Neither team found the back of the net in the extra periods, settling the score at a 2-2 draw.
Villa's first goal came just 1:33 after the opening kick. On a break-away down the right side of the field, rookie James Stamopoulos found himself in a one-on-one situation with Vermont keeper Tom Critz. Stamopoulos, who spotted his teammate streaking down field from the left, was able to draw Critz out of the net, setting up Villa for the easy shot on the unmanned goal. The score was Villa's fifth of the season, and Stamopoulos' second assist of 2009.
Hartford boosted its lead to 2-0 as Villa connected on a penalty kick in the fourth minute for his sixth goal. Villa converted at 3:37, firing a low shot and sinking it wide into the left corner of the target out of reach of Critz.
Following a first half that saw the Hawks dominating the offensive stats with a 12-3 advantage in the shots column and 3-2 edge in corner kicks, Vermont fired back with two unanswered goals. Jordan Smith put the Catamounts' first notch on the scoreboard at 68:36 as he sent a hard shot from the right towards the far left post into the back of the net. Matt Hennessey notched the equalizer at 87:43. The senior's second goal of the season came as he connected on a throw-in from the left side of the field.
Neither team got a shot off in the first overtime period, and Vermont held a slight 3-2 advantage in the final extra period, but neither team could net the game-winner. The Catamounts saw the best scoring opportunity in the second overtime as Hennessey fired a hard shot at the Hawks' goal however the ball was not out of reach of Hartford keeper Nenad Cudic, who made a diving save to preserve the tie.
In goal, Cudic and Critz recorded all 110 minutes. Each keeper made six saves for their respective team while allowing two goals.
The Hawks return to action on Saturday, October 10 as they continue conference play and welcome the Boston University Terriers, currently the 15th ranked team in the nation, to Al-Marzook Field. Kick-off between the Hawks and Terriers is slated for 7:00 p.m.
